Back in the vets, I found cats were often second in line to dogs for overnight boarding – and few would take in rabbits. We used to take a lot of cats in boarding as other places wouldn’t take them, particularly if they were on medication. I used to feel bad because perfectly healthy cats were coming into a sick animal environment for their holidays because nobody else would look after them.
I set up the cattery in 2018 while still working as a veterinary nurse, and went full-time in November 2021. Usually I have about 15 or so animals at a time, but occasionally this can go as high as 40 at peak times like Christmas, summer and Easter holidays. Christmas would be busier than summer to be honest, we get a good few in for a two-week spell. A lot of people who visit family in other counties or foreign families go back home for Christmas.
Most days consist of providing general care and lots of cleaning and disinfecting of animal housing is so important between guests. Administering medication, playtime, cuddles and photographs for sending updates to owners are also a big part of my day-to-day work. The cats stay in sheltered pods consisting of a 3ft by 3ft insulated and heated house with an 8ft run outside. Cats are quite claustrophobic and can get a bit fear-aggressive and unsociable when they’re in a confined spot, because they don’t have the space to move away if they’re scared, so this is why it’s crucial to have appropriate size pods for them. Obviously it’s more confined than what they have at home, but they do settle very quickly.